In the modern kitchen, one common appliance is the dishwasher, or in more specific terms, the automatic dishwasher. Most automatic dishwashers share certain basic components. There is a compartment in which the dishes or crockery are placed and enclosed for treatment or washing. Commonly, there is at least one rack to hold the items to be cleaned. A hinged door or sliding drawer is commonly used to enclose the compartment and its contents, and the door or drawer frequently includes a handle. There are commonly a number of nozzles for spraying water to facilitate the cleaning within the compartment and a basin that collects water sprayed from the nozzles. A drain is incorporated into the basin and the drain is connected to a hose to allow water to be removed from the dishwasher. Lastly, there is a dispenser for detergent to release detergent into the compartment during the treatment process and the detergent dispenser will have a cover to hold the detergent therein. Of course, it is to be understood that these components are common and basic, and that individual appliances will differ in the make-up of their components.
The rack may include wheels or rollers so that the rack can roll out of the compartment to facilitate insertion and removal of dishes from the dishwasher and/or the rack.
Including wheels and/or rollers on a dishwasher rack has shortcomings. For example, the wheels and/or rollers increase cost, at least because of additional parts and assembly time, which is undesirable. For example, in addition to wheels and/or rollers, bearings may be required along with the wheels and/or rollers. Bearings also increase cost. Also, the wheels and/or rollers, along with any associated bearings, can fail, which is also undesirable.
A need has developed to address one or more shortcomings of the prior art.